And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to
his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when
the times will have reached their fulfillmentto bring all things in
heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ(Ephesians
1:9, 10, NIV).

Key
Thought:

To show that the Godhead anticipated the Fall, and that a plan was
crafted to solve the problem of sin long before it arose.

Human beings were given moral freedom,
something not found in any of the other creatures that God had created here
on earth. Once God endowed them with this freedom, it was theirs, and He
could not take it away from them without radically altering their very nature
and being. They could use this freedom either to respond positively by rendering
to Him, in love and gratitude, faithful obedience, or they could use that
freedom and reject the gift of life and disobey the Lord. (After all, if
humans didnt have the option to disobey, they really wouldnt
be free.)

Godforeseeing that horrible possibility of disobedienceacted
accordingly. Thus, the plan of salvation was conceived in the divine mind
long before humans were created and before evil and sin actually appeared,
a plan that centered on the person and work of Jesus
Christ.

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 25

SUNDAY

October 19

The Mystery of God's Love

Read
Romans
5:68. According to these texts, what prompted God to bring salvation
to us through Jesus?

God was not obliged to save the human race. It was not something that He
was forced to do. It is difficult to imagine the Godhead saying, Had
we done this or that, Adam and Eve would not have fallen into sin. Therefore,
now we should do something to save them from their predicament. Instead,
humans brought upon themselves the condition in which they found themselves
after the Fall:  God made mankind upright, but men have gone
in search of many schemes 
(Eccles.
7:29, NIV).

If God felt obliged to save us, salvation would be something that we deserve.
But the opposite is true; it is something that we dont deserve, and
yet, God was willing to give it to us anyway. This makes His work of salvation
in our behalf even more remarkable, because He did for us, not what He was
forced to do, but what He out of love chose to do. He, the Creator, was under
no obligation to us, the creatures.

Read
Romans
3:1922. What is Paul saying to us here about how we are saved?
What role does the law have in solving the problem cause by sin?

Because of sin, it is impossible for humans, through obedience to the law,
to reconstruct their original relationship with God (see
Rom.
8:3,
Gal.
3:21). The law could no more save us than feeding a corpse could
bring it back to life. If something was to happen, God Himself would have
to take the initiative. And He didthrough the revelation of His
righteousness, revealed through Jesus on the cross. This righteousness comes
to the believer by faith and not by works of the law. If salvation was something
that we could earn through obedience, God would owe it to us to save us.
Instead, God determined that humans will be forgiven and restored to permanent
and eternal fellowship with Him only through the work and person of His Son,
Jesus Christ.

What means more to you (and why?): someone doing something nice to
you because he or she was obliged to, or purely out of love?

MONDAY

October 20

The Mystery of God's Grace

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, in accordance with the riches of Gods grace
(Eph.
1:7, NIV).

It would not be difficult to imagine that with the entrance of sin into the
world, the intelligent creatures of the universe were wondering how God was
going to relate to this rebellious race. They were to be surprised. They
were to witness something they probably had never seen before, an aspect
of the love and power of God that would now be expressed in the context of
humanitys fall. God was going to defeat sin on this planet through
the power of grace. Within that context, God showed Himself to be, by nature,
kind and mercifully disposed toward these sinful and rebellious creatures.
Jesus testified concerning the Father,  He Himself is kind to
ungrateful and evil men 
(Luke
6:35, NASB).

What
is the significance of the contrast Paul makes between
the phenomenon of sin and the revelation of God's grace?
Rom.
5:20,
21.

In the Bible, grace is an aspect of God's love, and it is extended in a
particular way to sinners. It seems to designate a dynamic, consistent, and
permanent aspect of God's nature, one that constantly seeks to restore sinful
creatures to harmony with Him. The biblical concept of grace reaffirms the
fact that the atoning work of Christ reaches us as a gift, a work of salvation
that we did not deserve. God's grace implies that our sin is inexcusable,
unjustifiable, and deserving eternal death; yet, instead of that death we
were given the hope and promise of life, even eternal life. Finally, this
wonderful aspect of God's nature was revealed to the universe in an unparalleled
way in the person and work of Christ. It is only and exclusively in Him that
we find and enjoy the benefits of the riches of His grace
(Eph.
1:7, NASB).

Read
2
Corinthians 8:9. What is Paul talking about here? More important, how
have you experienced for yourself the kind of grace revealed in this text?
How has your life changed as a result of what Christ has done for you?

TUESDAY

October 21

An Eternal Plan

After the Fall, God was not obliged to save us. But He did so anyway. Moreover,
this decisionwhich was extremely expensive for Himwas not an
afterthought.

First, it was formulated before the foundation of the world
(Eph.
1:4, NASB). This implies that long before humans fell into sin the
Godhead had created a plan to deal with that calamity.

Second, this divine mystery was kept hidden for ages and
generations
(Col.
1:26, NIV). Not only was the plan configured in advance but it was
also determined that it would be put into effect at a particular moment.
Therefore it remained hidden within the Godhead for ages.

Third, the mystery is specifically identified with Christ
(Col.
1:27). This refers to the mystery of the person of Christ, His ministry,
death, resurrection, and mediation on behalf of a sinful human race. It is
fundamentally the good news of salvation through Christ, the Christian gospel
(Eph.
6:19).

Fourth, this mystery is more precisely defined as God's purpose in Christ
to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head,
even Christ
(Eph.
1:10, NIV). The plan was to restore, in and through the person of
Christ, the cosmic harmony that was ruined through sin. The effectiveness
of this process is already visible in the unity of Gentiles and Jews in the
church
(Eph.
3:6). Fifth, the mystery secretly formulated within the Godhead before
the creation of the world has now become known through the coming of Christ
into human history.

Even before the foundation of the world, Gods plan was to save
the world, each one of us included. What hope can you draw, for yourself,
from the amazing truth that Gods plan was to save you even before you
existed?

WEDNESDAY

October 22

The Way of the Cross

God could have dealt with human rebellion in several different ways. He could
have immediately destroyed Adam and Eve, even the whole planet. Or He also
could have decided to abandon them to their fate; that is, He could have
just left them to face the inevitable results of sin, which would be eternal
ruin.

But there was one thing He could not have done; He could not have ignored
their rebellion, pretending as if nothing had happened and allowing their
relationship to continue as before.

In the end, what did God do? He didnt destroy them, He didnt
abandon them, and He didnt ignore them. Instead, He put into effect
His eternal purpose of salvation through Christ.

Once God committed Himself to save us, He didnt have several options
on how to do it. In fact, there was just one. Sin could be solved only through
the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and mediation of Christ.
If we were to be spared eternal ruin, Jesus had to give Himself
for us. The incarnation and the death of Christ were unavoidable if we were
to be saved. In other words, there is only one road to heaven, and it passes
through the heart of Christ on the cross.

When Jesus was in Gethsemane, experiencing the anguish of death
(Matt.
26:3646) and bearing the sins of the world, He approached the
Father, asking Him, essentially, whether or not there was another option
available to accomplish the salvation of humankind. The answer came wrapped
in divine silence. There was no other way out for the human problem except
through the sacrifice of Christ.

In the mystery of divine council, before the creation of the world, the Son
of God offered Himself to die as our substitute and surety. He, as we saw
in the above verses, gave Himself for us. There was no other
way.

Again, He was not under compulsion to save us; He did it willingly, out of
love. But once He decided to accomplish that salvation, His death was
inescapable, even though a voluntary act.  I lay down my
lifeonly to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it
down of my own accord 
(John
10:17, 18, NIV).

In most of those passages we find a verb that could be translated it
is necessary (Greek, dei). The verb expresses a very important
aspect in the life of Jesus. The whole life of Jesus was oriented by what
He needed to do in order to accomplish His mission:  We must
[it is necessary for us to] do the work of him who sent me 
(John
9:4, NIV). At the beginning of his public ministry He said to the
disciples,  I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities
also, for I was sent for this purpose 
(Luke
4:43, NASB). The ministry of Jesus clearly was determined by willingness
to accomplish God's plan for the salvation of the human race. Every aspect
of His life was part of this plan. For instance, He saw Zacchaeus and said
to him,  I must [it is necessary for me] stay at your house
today 
(Luke
19:5, NIV).

But the real goal of the ministry of Jesus reached beyond the compulsion
to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. There was a dark path that
He needed to tread. He needed to go to Jerusalem. He could have
chosen not to go, but He knew that this was indispensable for the divine
plan. So He said to His disciples that he must [it was necessary for
him to] go to Jerusalem and suffer many things . . . , and that he must [it
was necessary for him to] be killed
(Matt.
16:21, NIV). He was going there because it was necessary for Him
to be rejected by the evil generation
(Luke
17:25), to be counted with the transgressors
(Luke
22:37), and to be lifted up on the cross
(John
3:14,
12:34).
But dying was not enough to fulfill His mission. It was necessary for
Him to be resurrected
(Acts
17:3), to be received in glory, and to remain there until all the
prophecies were fulfilled
(Acts
3:21). He was following the eternal plan put together by the Godhead.

What are the things in your life that you must do, that are necessary,
and what things arent? How do you make that distinction between them,
and why is it so important to be able to?

FRIDAY

October 24

Further
Study:

Defining Grace: We would never have learned the meaning
of this word grace had we not fallen. God loves the sinless angels
who do His service and are obedient to all His commands, but He does not
give them grace. These heavenly beings know naught of grace; they have never
needed it, for they have never sinned. Grace is an attribute of God shown
to undeserving human beings. We did not seek after it, but it was sent in
search of us. God rejoices to bestow this grace on everyone who hungers for
it, not because we are worthy, but because we are so utterly
unworthy.Ellen G. White, My Life Today,
p. 100.

Redemption: Not an Afterthought: The purpose and plan of grace
existed from all eternity. Before the foundation of the world it was according
to the determinate counsel of God that man should be created, endowed with
power to do the divine will. But the defection of man, with all its consequences,
was not hidden from the Omnipotent, and yet it did not deter Him from carrying
out His eternal purpose; for the Lord would establish His throne in
righteousness. God knows the end from the beginning. . . . Therefore redemption
was not an afterthought.Ellen G. White, God's Amazing Grace,
p. 129.

Not only was He to die, but he knew precisely the shame, the humiliation,
He would have to suffer, the cruel treatment He should receive. There was
no compulsion in bringing Him to the ignominious death on the cross; yet
He made His soul an offering for sin. The mind of God to save the world was
the mind of Christ. His own love was one with that of the Father, and that
love constrained Him.Ellen G. White,
The Bible Echo, November
25, 1895.

Discussion
Questions:

In the Ellen White quote above, she makes it clear that
God knew beforehand about our fall, and hence all the pain and suffering
that would come with it. And yet He created us anyway? Why would He do that,
knowing what would happen? How does the following paragraph help answer that
question? How does the suffering of Jesus Himself help us better understand
why God allows our own suffering?

Write out a page summarizing whatever point impressed you the most
from this weeks lesson. Bring it to class and share it with others.

Summary:

God not only took the initiative to save us, but did it voluntarily out
of His loving nature. That decision, which revealed the nature of His gracious
character, was made in eternity, before we were created, and it required
the sacrificial death of God's Son. The plan was fully revealed and implemented
in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I
N S I D E
Story

The School Taught Me by IVETTE RIVERA

My children attended a private school that only went through the tenth grade.
I began looking for a good school where they could finish their education.
A friend told me about the Adventist school in town, but she warned me that
the school was not big or fancy. I visited the school and saw that my friend
was right; it wasn't big or fancy. However, I was impressed with the teachers,
and the students seemed happy. After talking with the director, I enrolled
my son in the school and let my daughter finish her last year at the other
school.

My son loved his new school and his teachers. He often talked about what
he was learning, but I refused to let him talk about religion. I knew almost
nothing about Adventists and thought that they worship someone called Ellen
White on Saturdays.

One day while I was waiting at a stoplight, a man gave me a magazine. I took
it, and laid it aside. When I found the magazine again and started reading
it, I didn't trust what was printed there. So I looked up Sabado (Saturday)
in the dictionary. It said that Sabado is the seventh day, and Domingo (Sunday)
is the first day. I realized that these Adventists were not as crazy as I
had thought. I read the articles and verified every fact in the magazine.
I even looked up the change of Sabbath to Sunday. I was amazed that nothing
in the magazine could be disputed. Even though I didn't want to admit it,
this church was right.

I started keeping the Sabbath as I understood it. But I wondered how this
Mrs. White fit into Adventist worship. I asked a teacher at the school, and
she loaned me several books by Ellen White. There I found great truth.

Because I didn't allow my son to talk to me about what he was learning about
religion, I didn't realize that he already knew much of what I was discovering.
When I told my children that I wanted to start attending the Adventist church,
my son was excited, for he had wanted to go. I allowed my daughter to attend
our former church until she was convinced, as I was, that the Adventists
were right. She listened as I explained what I was learning, and soon she
decided to join my son and me in the Adventist church. Eventually we all
were baptized together.

I believe in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its school system, for
through it God introduced us to His church. I believe in our publishing work,
for it was a magazine that led me to the feet of Jesus. Our mission offerings
support Adventist schools around the world and lead people such as us to
God. Thank you for being a part in this great endeavor.